Fuel and water controller for boilers or steam generators



y 1943- w. s. H. HAMILTON ETAL. 2,324,695

FUEL AND WATER CONTROLLER FOR BOILERS OR STEAM GENERATORS 1 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 24, 1942 July 20, 1943. w. s. H. HAMILTON ETAL 2,324,695

FUEL AND'WATER CONTROLLER FOR BOILERS OR STEAM GENERATORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 24, 1942 'm MHH INVENTORJ /1/( TON W/41/AM 6'. h- HA AA'A/DAZIIWB. ROM/Ell,

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3 Shoots-Sheet 3 y 1943- w. S. H. HAMILTON ETAL I FUEL AND WATER CONTROLLER FOR BOILERS OR STEAM GENERATORS Filed March 24, 1942 F 5 w M E 7 QR XNQ-0$MU s :w\% NR} VQ$N QR R M v 6m M4 Mmv. a5 W W R W F Patented July 20, 1943 "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FUEL AND WATER CONTROLLER FOR BOILERS OR STEAM GENERATORS William S. H. Hamilton, Larcliinofit, and Kendall B. R'owell, NewYork, N. Y,; assignors to The New York Central Railroad Company, a corporation of New York Application March 24,,1942',scriai1-ib. 436,044

2'Claims. (Cl. 122-448) This invention relates to fuel controllers for boilers or steam generators and particularly to fuel control means operating in conjunction with a boiler feed regulator for cutting off the supply of fuel to the boiler when the level of the water therein reaches a predetermined low level.

The object of the invention is to provide novel and improved means governed in action by means controlling the feed water supply forgiving low water protection and automatically shutting down the fuel supply when a low water danger level exists, as occasion may require in the operation of the boiler or steam generator.

With these and other objects inrview, which will appear in the course of the subjoined description, the invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts,

hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in

which:

Fig. 1 is a View in elevation, "with parts in section, of a steam generating boiler embodying a feed water regulator and showing in connection therewith our improved fuel controller.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the boiler. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the float valve feed water governor. r i

Fig. 4 is a View showing the thermostatic control element.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammaticsectional view showing the fuel control valve, its control switch and the thermostatic control element for governing the action of the switch, together with parts of the control circuit.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, I designates'a boiler or steam generator, 2

a water supply pipe leading to the boiler Ora preheater connected with the boiler, 3 a burner for heating the boiler, 4 a fuel supply pipe for supplying fuel to the burner from a suitable source of supply, 5 a valve for controlling the supply of fuel to the burner, and 6 a pipe for conducting air for combustion to the burner from a blower or other source ofsupply of air under pressure. The burner may preferably be a pressure atomizing burner or burner of any other suitable type for burning fuel oil.'

Arranged in the pipe 2 is a feed water control valve 1, and associated with the boiler is a feed Water control means consisting of a float operated valve 8, such as a strong Simplex boiler feeder,

a diaphragm operated balanced feed water governor 9, or a Kieley spring closed type of excess pressure pump governor, with pressure chambers I ll, ll on opposite sides of a diaphragm l2 operating in connection with or against the action of the valve opening spring 13, and an adjustable orifice or key needle valve M The feed water governor 9 is placed-in the feed water line at a distance from the boiler, or where the water has When the boiler water level is high, thefloat valve 8 is-closed and therefore the feed line pressure builds up on the bottom of the diaphragm equal to that on top, through the key-needle valve, and the spring closes the feed water gov ernor valve. When the boiler water level falls below normal the float valve opens and allows the pressure on the bottom of the feed water governor diaphragm to drop to that of the boiler, provided the orifice in the key-needle valve is sufficiently small. This key-needle valve may beadjusted to proper position by test and then suitably locked in such position. If this valve be too far open the feed water governor will not open quickly and if the'key-needle valve be too nearly closed the feed; water governor will not close promptly. By proper adjustment of the valve l4,

however, a maximum sensation of action will be obtained. This type of controlpermits the use of a small float valve and maintains'the Water level within a narrow range at maximum rates of evaporation, which is necessary in obtaining .the best efficiency of the boiler. The feed water .may be supplied by a reciprocating pump controlled by a conventional type of pump governor so that when the feed water governor is closed the pressure built up behind it acts upon the pump governor to reduce the speed of the pump 7 or stop it.

The valve 5 is adapted to be closed by a spring I5 and to be opened by an electromagnet or solenoid l6 against the resistance of the spring. The solenoid is arranged in a conductor l6 forming part of an electric circuit also including a conductor l1, which conductors are separate from each other and connected respectively in practice at one end to the negative and positive poles of The adjustable orifice key:

an energizing battery. The opposite or adjacent ends of the conductors are adapted to be connected. by a spring closed switch member l8 forming part of a thermostatic switch. When this switch 18 is closed the magnet I 6 is energized to hold the valve 5 open against the action of spring I5.

A short section of pipe I9 is connected to the top and bottom of the water column 20 in order that the water level in this pipe will always correspond with the level in the boiler. The water in this pipe l9 remains cool as there is no continuous flow. At a place in the pipe a short distance below the normal water level a sensitive thermostatic bulb 2|, forming a part of said thermostatic switch, is installed. This bulb is connected to an expansible and contractible switch actuating member 22 which is operable thereby to control the switch member Hi. When the water level is sufficiently high the thermostatic bulb is surrounded by water which is relatively cool, the bulb and member 22 being contracted so that the switch I3 is closed, rendering the control circuit active to energize the magnet to hold valve 5 open. Nhen the water level falls below the desired height the thermostatic bulb becomes exposed to hot water just below the water level or to the steam above the water, thus expanding it and member 22, whereby the switch I8 is opened, the magnet Hideenergized and valve 5 closed to cut oil the supply of fuel to the burner. If the feed water system is in operation it will restore the proper water level and the switch 18 will be reclosed. If desired, a jacket 23 may be arranged to surround the pipe 19 in which the thermostatic bulb is inserted and conductors 24 provided which carry the water from the feed Water governor diaphragm through this jacket and to the float valve 8. This water, which is relatively cool, assists in cooling the water which surrounds the thermostatic bulb and causes quicker action of the thermostat. To further ensure that this water will always be of the required coolness the conductor 24 may be provided with a cooling coil 25.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, the construction and mode of operation of our improved boiler burner fuel control means will be readily understood without a further and extended description, and it will be seen that the invention provides simple, reliable, sensitive and effective means of this character cooperating with feed water means whereby in case of low water the fuel supply will be out off and the boiler protected.

While the construction disclosed is preferred, it will, of course, beunderstood that changes in the form, arrangement and details of construction of the parts may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. In a fuel controller for steam generators, a boiler, a burner for heating the same, a conductor for supplying fuel to the burner, a water feed governor controlling the supply of water to the generator, said governor including a spring closed valve and a controlling diaphragm therefor subjected on its opposite sides to feed water and boiler pressures, a float controlled element for controlling communication between the boiler and diaphragm, a vertically disposed tube in communication with the boiler above and below the normal water level line and containing relatively cool water therein below the water level line and hot water and steam above the water level line, a cut out valve in the fuel conductor, means for controlling the valve including a thermostatic device located in said tube below the water level line so as to be normally immersed in relatively cool water and to control said means to hold the valve open and adapted to be subjected to the action of hot water and steam descending in the tube at a low water level condition in the boiler and operated to control'said means to effect the closing of the valve, and a connection between the tube, float controlled element and feed water pressure side of the diaphragm for flow of water around the tube from the governor prior to its admission to the float controlled element.

2. In a fuel controller for steam generators, a boiler, a burner for heating the same, fuel supplying means for the boiler, a water feed governor controlling the supply of water to the generator, said governor including a spring closed valve and a controlling diaphragm therefor'subjected on its opposite sides to feed water and boiler pressures, a float controlled element for controlling communication between the boiler and diaphragm, a vertically disposed tube in communication with the boiler aboveand below the normal water level line and containing relatively cool water therein below the water level line and hot water and steam above the water level line, a cut out including a thermoelectric device located in said tube below the water level line so as to be normally immersed in relatively cool water and to be subjected to the action of hot water and steam descending in the tube at a low water level condition in theboiler and operated for cutting the fuel supplying device out of action, and a connection between the tube, float controlled element and feed water pressure side of the diaphragm for flow of water around the .tubefrom the governor prior to its admission to thefloat controlled element.

WILLIAM S. H. HAMILTON. KENDALL B. ROWELL. 

